The ALS ice bucket challenge is back. Twelve years after the viral social media movement first swept the country in 2014, former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson’s ALS diagnosis has reignited the campaign across the NFL, other major sports, and communities around the world. The outpouring of support for Johnson, who was diagnosed roughly a year ago and has lost most of the function in his body, represents the largest wave of ALS awareness the United States has seen in over a decade.

Johnson is the highest-profile athlete diagnosed with the disease in a long time and the highest-profile player in NFL history to receive the diagnosis. That reality makes the renewed push for funding and research all the more significant, because ALS remains woefully underfunded relative to how devastating it is.

Steve Gleason and Brian Jeansonne answer the call

Johnson’s main Instagram account kicked off the new wave by challenging three former NFL players he was close with. From there, the challenge spread throughout the league, into other major sports, and to everyday people in Nashville and beyond.

Perhaps the most inspiring entry came from former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason and his friend Brian Jeansonne, both of whom are battling ALS. Gleason, one of the NFL’s most prominent champions for curing the disease, has done incredible work for ALS research, treatment, and giving hope to families dealing with the diagnosis. Despite being confined to wheelchairs and unable to move or speak on their own, these two men participated in the challenge and posted the video on Instagram.

They delivered a speech through their voice-to-text digital voices, and their positive attitude radiated through every word. Gleason and Jeansonne said:

“In honor of our brother Chris Johnson, who was recently diagnosed with ALS, we are doing the ice bucket challenge. Hi there, friends. In honor of Chris Johnson, Brian and I would like to nominate Drew Brees, Tyler Shough, John Driskell Hopkins, Rebel Tanea Brooks, Dustin Poirier, and Roger Goodell.”

Shooting your shot with the commissioner takes some guts, and I hope Roger Goodell follows through!

They continued: “And for those wondering, yes, we are both butt-*** naked and we’ll be able to feel this, but do not worry, we won’t flinch.”

A hilarious way of making light of the fact that they can’t move. And it’s true: they felt it and they did not flinch.

The SACK Summit joins the movement

The challenge also made its way to second-year Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, who participated and posted to Instagram. It then reached New Orleans elder statesman and NFL legend Cam Jordan, who was one of the leaders at this week’s SACK Summit. The SACK Summit is essentially the defensive line version of Tight End University, a gathering of edge rushers and defensive linemen working to hone their craft.

Jordan, along with Maxx Crosby and Von Miller, who are the faces of the event, filmed a video with the entire crew on-site supporting Johnson and talking about what he means to them. For the older guys who played alongside Johnson and for the younger players who watched him growing up before entering the league themselves, the outpouring of support has been overwhelming.

The NFL’s responsibility

Here’s the thing about ALS that needs to be said plainly: there is a statistical tie between ALS and other neurological diseases in this category, like CTE, and the contact sport of football. The NFL wants us to act like that connection is not a big deal, but frankly, it is. Continued research, safety protocols, and meaningful efforts to protect against this and support those affected need to be a priority and initiative of the league. Goodell answering the call from Gleason, doing the challenge, and donating on behalf of the NFL to ALS research would be a great place for him to start.

The bottom line is that turning terrible news into something productive and positive is exactly what Chris Johnson and his family want. These high-profile people with massive platforms continuing to lean into this cause matters. It’s not as rare a disease as people seem to think, and the more visibility it is, the better the chances of meaningful progress toward a cure.